Battery case for mobile device

ABSTRACT

A battery case for a mobile device is provided comprising a case, electrical components, a port, and an aperture size to contain at least one rechargeable battery. Also provided is a charger including a mount to receiving a rechargeable battery. The rechargeable battery may be configured to fit inside of the battery case. The charger may be figured to fit inside of the battery case.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/783,129, filed Mar. 1, 2013, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 13/489,325, filed Jun. 5, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No.8,390,255, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/651,981, filed May 25, 2012, the entirety of all of the above arehereby incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

This application relates to improved battery cases and chargers for usewith a mobile device.

2. Description of the Related Art

Mobile devices are known to come with an internal battery, used to powerthe mobile device. However, internal batteries are known to have alimited life. To provide additional power, for at least cell phones,external battery cases for the mobile device have been provided, such asthose disclosed in US Patent Application No. 2011-0159324 that couldprovide additional battery life to the mobile device.

Battery cases like the ones disclosed in the aforementioned applicationare designed with a non-removable battery stored inside of the case thatcan be charged through connection of the case containing the battery toa power source such as a computer or power outlet. Thus, once thebattery inside of the mobile device and the battery inside of the casehave completely drained, a user would have to recharge the battery caseand/or the mobile device in order to continue to use the mobile devicewithout the delays inherent in charging the device. This circumstancemay be especially inconvenient when a user is traveling and poweroutlets are not readily available.

SUMMARY

An aspect of at least one of the embodiments disclosed herein includesthe realization that rechargeable battery cases run out of power, andmay benefit from a compact, rechargeable battery system. For example, akit may comprise a case comprising at least one side protector,electrical components, a port, and an aperture sized to removablycontain at least one rechargeable battery, the case configured toprotect a mobile device. The kit may also comprise at least onerechargeable battery, a rechargeable battery charger comprising asurface for receiving at least one rechargeable battery, and the casemay further include a single continuous piece or multiple pieces,defining a perimeter of the case. The charger may fit within theperimeter of the case. Because of travel and/or lack of access tocharging facilities, it can be difficult to maintain a charge in amobile device, even with the use of an external battery-containing case.It is also difficult to pack an external battery charger; as suchchargers may take up additional space in a user'sluggage/purse/briefcase, etc. Thus, it would be advantageous to have akit that allows for more than one battery to charge at the same time,and for the charger and case to fit within one another for compactnessand ease of packing and carrying in travel.

Another aspect of at least one of the embodiments disclosed hereinincludes the realization that users of battery mobile device casesdesire a case which secures and protects the mobile device, and a casethat is less likely to fall apart when dropped. For example, aprotective case may comprise electrical components, at least one port,and an aperture sized to contain at least one rechargeable battery, abase portion containing the electrical components and an aperture sizedto contain at least one rechargeable battery, and a bumper comprising asingle piece or multiple pieces, the bumper configured to fit on top ofthe base portion, and a nested portion, located between the bumper andthe base portion. In some embodiments, the bumper may be configured suchthat if a mobile device is being protected within the case, if dropped,the bumper positioned on top of the base portion and around the mobiledevice stays in place on the base portion in a single piece, thusprotecting the case. This single piece bumper may also beinterchangeable with bumpers of other colors or materials, thus allowingfor personalization of the case. Thus, it would be advantageous to havea protective battery case that secures and protects the mobile devicewhen dropped, and allows for personalization of the protective case.

Thus, in accordance with an embodiment, an assembly may comprise a casecomprising at least one side protector, electrical components, a port,and an aperture sized to contain at least one rechargeable battery, thecase being configured to protect a mobile device. The system may alsoinclude a rechargeable battery charger, the rechargeable battery chargerbeing configured to recharge at least one rechargeable battery anddischarge power to an outside source. The system may also include atleast one charging cable configured to connect the charger with a powersource, at least one connector configured to connect the charger withthe case, and at least one rechargeable battery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present embodiments willbecome more apparent upon reading the following detailed description andwith reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a front side perspective view of an assembly, including abattery case and a rechargeable battery according to one embodiment;

FIG. 1A is a front side perspective view of the case of FIG. 1containing a mobile device;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a rear plan view of the case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a front side perspective exploded view of a battery caseaccording to the case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a right side plan magnified view of the interior of a bumperportion of the case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4B is a top plan magnified view of a base portion of the case ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 4C is a right side plan magnified view of a base portion of thecase of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a top schematic layout view illustrating the electricalcomponents for the base portion of the case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6A is a front side perspective view of a base portion of a caseaccording to the case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6B is a front side perspective view of a mobile device beingsecured on the base portion of a case according to the case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6C is a front side perspective view of a mobile device beingfurther secured in a case according to the case of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6D is a front plan view of a base portion of a mobile device in acase according to the case of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a front side perspective view of a charger according toanother embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a rear plan view of the charger of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a front side perspective view of a kit according to yetanother embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a left side plan view of the kit of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a front side perspective view of a system according to yetanother embodiment;

FIG. 12 is a front side perspective magnified cutaway view of a bottomportion of the system of FIG. 11.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An improved battery case for a mobile device and kit comprising theimproved battery case, rechargeable batteries, and a battery charger isdisclosed herein. The embodiments disclosed herein are described in thecontext of a battery case for a cell phone and associated kit for usewith the cell phone because the embodiments disclosed herein haveparticular utility in this context. However, the embodiments andinventions herein can also be applied to other types of electronicdevices, including, but not limited to tablets, PDAs, e-readers, mp3players (such as an iPod®), laptops, etc.

With reference to FIGS. 1-4, an improved battery case for a mobiledevice can comprise a case 10. As best seen in FIG. 4, the case 10generally comprises a base portion 20 and a side protector or bumperportion 12. The case 10 can be generally shaped to contain and protect amobile device (e.g. an iPhone®). When placed inside of a case, themobile device (FIGS. 6C and 6D) desirably fits snugly, although the userdesirably still has access to the buttons and/or touch screen of themobile device either directly through apertures in the case 10 orindirectly through button features included on the bumper portion 12 orbase portion 20. According to some embodiments, the bumper portion 12and the base portion 20 are attached together permanently orsemi-permanently to comprise a single integral unit. According to otherembodiments, the bumper portion 12 and the base portion 20 comprise acase 10 that comprises two pieces that are releaseably attached togetherto contain a mobile device, as illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 4.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1-4, the bumper portion 12 can comprise a singlepiece, forming a perimeter of the case 10. The bumper portion 12 maycomprise a first side or end 81 and a second side or end 82 opposite thefirst end 81. The bumper portion 12 may also have a third side 83opposite a fourth side 84. The bumper may also have an inner surface 85and an outer surface 86. The bumper portion 12 may also have a frontedge 87. Desirably, the front edge 87 is flush or substantially flushwith the screen or display of a mobile device when the mobile device iswithin the case. However, in other embodiments, the front edge 87extends over or overhangs at least a portion of the mobile device screenwhen a mobile device is inserted in case 10. As is shown in FIGS. 1 and4, the bumper comprises a single side protector which is configured toprotect each of the four sides of a mobile device received within thecase 10. Alternatively, however, the case could have one or moreseparate side protector corresponding to each individual side of themobile device, or have one or more separate side protectors which wraparound the corner of the mobile device and therefore protect at least aportion of two or more sides of the mobile device.

In some embodiments, the continuous bumper portion 12 may comprise twoor more pieces that connect together to form a perimeter of the case 10.The two or more pieces may interlock together to protect the sides of amobile device. However, in other embodiments, the bumper may comprisetwo or more pieces that may be integral with two or more pieces of thebase portion of the case. In such an embodiment, the two or more piecesof the case each comprising a piece of a bumper portion and a piece ofthe base portion may connect to one another around a mobile device, viaan appropriate mechanism such as a slide-and-lock mechanism.

The bumper portion may include feature apertures 14 corresponding tofeatures on the mobile device, for example, the headphone inlet and thevibrate switch (illustrated). Other feature apertures may beincorporated into the bumper portion 12 to allow for access to theon/off button, speakers, volume controls, Bluetooth® switch, and othersuch features present on the mobile device. The bumper portion 12 mayalso include button features 16 corresponding to other features on themobile device such as volume controls and sleep or on/off switches(illustrated). The button features 16 may also be formed into the bumperportion to correspond to other features of the mobile device. The buttonfeatures 16 may be raised and/or molded into the bumper portion 12, asthus made of the same material of the bumper portion 12. However, insome embodiments the button features 16 may be made of a differentmaterial than the bumper portion 12, or they may comprise an additionalmaterial, such as rubber, coated on the button features 16 to improvetactility and use of the button features 16.

The bumper portion 12 may be made of a plastic or polymeric material. Insome embodiments, the bumper portion 12 is molded in a single piece, andis made of a suitable material such as polycarbonate, polypropylene,polyvinyl chloride, and the like. The bumper portion 12 may be made by asuitable process such as injection molding. Preferably the bumperportion 12 is made of a material that is suitably flexible to allow amobile device to fit snugly within the bumper portion 12 and to allowthe button features 16 to flex and contact the corresponding buttons ona mobile device without fracture. Additionally, the material may beimpact resistant enough to resist fracture when the case 10 containing amobile device is dropped from a user's hand, a table, a desk and similarheights onto a variety of surfaces including concrete, asphalt, carpet,and the like. Such a height may include heights such as six feet, fivefeet, four feet, three feet, and the like.

Additionally, the bumper portion 12 may be made of a plastic or polymermaterial that can be made in a variety of hues. By providing a bumperportion 12 that can be made in a variety of colors, a user canpersonalize the battery case 10, without having to purchase a new baseportion 20, which may include components that are much more expensiveand/or difficult to manufacture than bumper portion 12. In someembodiments, the bumper portion 12 may be made of a plastic or polymericmaterial that is red, blue, orange, yellow, green, purple, pink, white,black, or a mixture of any of the above. The bumper portion 12, incertain embodiments, may also be made of a variety of materials, thusallowing for further personalization of the case 10.

As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4, base portion 20 forms the base of thecase and is configured to support the mobile device and provide a baseto which the bumper portion 12 can attach. The base portion 20 mayinclude a thin substantially rectangular body defining a back panel 29adapted to form an outer surface of the case 10 and an inside panel 25adapted to support and be positioned adjacent to a mobile device. Thecase and, desirably, the inside panel 25 define a plane corresponding tothe position of the back surface of the mobile device when it ispositioned within the case 10. The base portion 20 may further include anested portion 26 extending from the inside panel 25 opposite the backpanel 29.

In some embodiments, electrical contacts may be present on the baseportion of the case 20. The electrical contacts may be located near oron the bottom end of the base portion 20. In other embodiments, theelectrical contacts may be located elsewhere along the back panel 29.The electrical contacts may be configured to connect to a chargingdevice.

A data or charging device may comprise any device that may transferpower from a power source to the case 10 and/or charger 50. In someembodiments, the charging device may be a charging and/or data cablesuch as charging cable 1010.

In other embodiments, the charging device may include a charging cradle1090 in addition to or instead of a charging cable 1010. A chargingcradle may include a base 1091 that may include a concave surface 1092shaped to fit a case 10. The concave surface 1092 may also assist inholding a case alone or a case containing a mobile device upright. Thecharging cradle, in some embodiments, may also be able to charge thecharger 50. In some embodiments, the base may be relatively planar, andthe case may be laid flat upon the base. The charging cradle 1090 mayalso include one or more leads 1093 that may transmit power tocorresponding contacts on the case 10 or charger 50 when the contactsare touching the leads 1093. The base may also include a plug or port ormeans to provide power to the base. The base 1091 may also include aplug or port or means to provide power to the base 1091. In someembodiments, the charging cradle 1090 may include a port configured toplug into the case 10 to provide power to charge the case with orwithout a mobile device contained therein.

A charging cradle 1090 may be configured to charge the case with orwithout a rechargeable battery contained therein and with or without amobile device. The charging cradle 1090 may be able to charge any pieceof the mobile device assembly inductively or conductively.

The base portion may further comprise a feature opening or window 21,shaped to allow a view of a feature located on the rear of the mobiledevice, such as a camera lens (illustrated). According to someembodiments, a camera lens insert 21A may be inserted into the featureopening 21. Such insert may protect the case 10 from scratching thesurface of a mobile device contained within the case. The base portionalso may define a battery aperture 22, shaped to contain a rechargeablebattery 40. Electrical components (not illustrated) may also becontained within the base portion 20. The nested portion 26 may extendabove the inside panel 25 so as to be flush or substantially flush withthe outer edge of the bumper portion 12. In some embodiments,“substantially flush” may mean that the nested portion 26 extends aboveor below the bumper portion 12, a distance of about 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm andthe like. The nested portion 26 may comprise a plug 28 and controls 27.The inside panel 25 and bumper portion 12, when the case is assembled,may form an inner portion containing the nested portion 26, inside panel25 of the base portion 20, and the inner side of the bumper portion 12.The inside panel 25 may be attached to the back panel 29 by a suitableadhesive such as an epoxy or acrylic.

Electrical components, which may be contained within the nested portion26, may comprise such components as wires, printed circuit boards,capacitors, resistors, and the like. The electrical components maytransfer the charge from the battery 40, when placed in the batteryaperture 22 to a mobile device connected to the plug 28. The controls 27may also operate the electrical components. The electrical componentsmay also allow the battery 40 to be charged when placed in the batteryaperture 22 in the case 10 when a charging cable 1010 is inserted intothe inlet 31 and connected to a power source such as a computer or apower outlet.

The charging and/or data cable 1010 may have a male connector 1012, atone end configured to be inserted into the case 10, another maleconnector 1014 at the other end shaped to connect to a power source, anda wire 1013 joining the connectors 1012, 1014. The charging and/or datacable 1010 may be capable of transferring power and/or data between apower source and/or computer and a case.

The charging cable 1010 may be any type of cable having any number ofwires that can electronically connect the case 10 to a computer or powersource. In one embodiment, the cable is a USB cable (e.g., a USB 2.0cable) where male connector 1012 is a USB mini-A plug and male connector1014 is a USB type-B plug. The charging cable 1010 may allowrechargeable battery 40, an internal battery of a mobile device, or bothto be charged by a computer and/or power source. In some embodiments,when the charging cable 1010 connects the case 10 to a computer, themobile device and the computer may be synchronized or synched. In suchembodiments, the cable 1010 may be configured to transfer data from themobile device contained within the case to a computer and/or from acomputer to the mobile device contained within the case.

The cable 1010, in some embodiments, may be able to charge an internalbattery within the case, a rechargeable battery positioned within thecase, or a mobile device placed inside of the case. In some embodiments,the charging cable may be able to charge a mobile device within a case,even though no rechargeable battery is present in the case.

In some embodiments, a headphone adapter 1080 may be provided in the kitdescribed above. The headphone adapter 1080 may be generally configuredto connect a headphone jack that is too large (e.g., has too large of acircumference) to fit through the opening in the case to properlyconnect within the headphone inlet of a mobile device, to a headphonejack inlet on a mobile device when the mobile device is within the case10. The headphone adapter 1080 may have a female end 1081 connected to amale end 1082 by a connecting wire 1083. In use, a user may plug aheadphone jack (not pictured) into the female end 1081, and then theuser may plug the male end 1082 into the mobile device. The user mayplug a distal end 1084 of the male end 1082 through the headphoneaperture 1085, and into a device within the case, as illustrated in FIG.1A. Once connected, the headphone adapter 1080 can transmit sound fromthe mobile device through the adapter 1080 to the headphones. In anembodiment, no external wire, such as connecting wire 1083, connects themale and female ends. In such an embodiment, the female end and male endare externally directly connected to one another.

FIG. 5 illustrates a schematic view of the case 10 illustrating theelectrical components. As shown in the figure, there are three printedcircuit boards (or “PCBs”), the main PCB1 1001, PCB2 1002, and PCB31003. PCB1 1001 is the main PCB, which may contain such items as acontroller, firmware, an authentication chip, a battery chargingcircuit, and LEDs. PCB2 may contain a case connector, such as a 30 pinconnector. PCB3 1003 may contain the USB connector. Main PCB1 1001connects to PCB2 1002 through a cable 1005. Main PCB1 1001 also connectsto PCB3 1003 through a cable 1006. Main PCB1 may also be electricallyconnected to the prongs 24 to transfer electrical charge to and from therechargeable battery 40.

As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the battery aperture 22 may beshaped to contain a rechargeable battery 40 and located on the insidepanel 25 of the base portion 20. The battery aperture 22 may comprise adetent 23 shaped in a semi hemispherical fashion to allow a user toeasily remove a battery 40 from the battery aperture 22. The batteryaperture 22 may also comprise conductors, such as leads or prongs 24 toallow a battery 40, when placed in the case, to transfer electricalcharge to the electrical components within the base portion 22 (notillustrated). The prongs 24 may also provide additional pressure to thebattery 40, when placed in the battery aperture 22, to assist in keepingthe battery 40 in place in the base portion 20.

As illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 1, the battery 40 may be shapedgenerally rectangularly to fit in the battery aperture 22. The battery40 may have a top end 42, a bottom end 44, a left side 46, and a rightside 48. Electrical connectors 45 may be disposed on the bottom end 44and be located on the bottom end to correspond with the prongs 24 in thebattery aperture 22. This may allow for an electrical charge to transmitbetween the battery 40 and the electrical components. The battery 40 mayhave a thickness t. The thickness t may be roughly the same as theheight of the battery aperture. Hence, when the battery 40 is in placein the battery aperture 22, a mobile device, when placed in the case 10lies flat. In some embodiments, the thickness t may be slightly lessthan the height of the battery aperture, hence still allowing the mobiledevice when placed in the case to lie flat.

Desirably, the thickness t of the battery 40 is in the range of between2 mm (or about 2 mm) and 12 mm (or about 12 mm) thick. According toother embodiments, the thickness t is in the range of between 3 mm (orabout 3 mm) and 10 mm (or about 10 mm), between 3 mm (or about 3 mm) and7 mm (or about 7 mm), between 6 mm (or about 6 mm) and 9 mm (or about 9mm), or between 7 mm (or about 7 mm) and 8 mm (or about 8 mm).Desirably, the thickness t of the battery 40 is less than 13 mm (orabout 13 mm), less than 10 mm (or about 10 mm), less than 8 mm (or about8 mm), less than 7 mm (or about 7 mm), less than 6 mm (or about 6 mm),or less than 5 mm (or about 5 mm).

The battery 40 may comprise any suitable (preferably rechargeable)battery. The battery may be able to hold 3.7 V or 1700 mAh of charge,1600 mAh of charge, and the like. Such batteries may include a lithiumion battery. In other embodiments, the battery may be nickel cadmium,nickel metal hydride, lithium-ion polymer, lithium polymer, lead acid,or any other type of rechargeable battery. In some embodiments, thebattery may be disposable. The battery may be advantageously shaped tofit within the battery aperture 22. The battery may comprise one or morebatteries, for example two batteries, three batteries, ten batteries, orhowever many a user may possess.

While the illustrated embodiment in FIGS. 1, 2, and 4 shows the batteryaperture 22 located roughly in the center of the inside panel 25 of thebase portion 20, in other embodiments the battery aperture may belocated on any portion of the inside panel 25 of the base portion 22,e.g. near the top, bottom, left hand side, right hand side, and thelike. According to other embodiments, the battery aperture may belocated on the back panel 29 of the base portion 20. In suchembodiments, the battery aperture may be covered by a door that may beopened by a user by pressure, or by pressing a button located on thebase portion 20.

The plug 28 may extend from the nested portion 26 and be adapted to beinserted into the port jack of a mobile device. The plug 28 may be ableto communicate electronically with a mobile device and deliver charge toa mobile device from the case 10 containing a battery 40 containing atleast a partial charge. In some embodiments, the plug 28 may also beconfigured to send data to and receive data from a mobile device.

The controls 27 of the nested portion 26 may allow a user to turn thebattery case on or off and/or check the charge level of the rechargeablebattery 40 when inside of the case 10. The charge level may be indicatedby lights such as LED lights 2030 located inside and visible on thesurface of the nested portion 26. The controls 27 may also comprise alight that illuminates when the case is on and is providing charge to amobile device or if the charge level is being tested. The lightcorresponding to the controls 27 may turn off when the case 10 is notbeing used to provide charge to a mobile device such as when the userpresses the control to turn the power off or when the case runs out ofbattery energy or if there is no battery 40 within the battery aperture22.

As shown in FIG. 4, the nested portion 26 may also comprise an inlet 31.The inlet 31 may correspond to or receive a charging cable 1010 that maybe used to charge the battery 40 when contained in the battery aperture22 without removing the battery 40 from the case 10. The charging cablemay be configured to plug into a power source, for example, a computeror laptop device, a car outlet, a power outlet and the like.

Also as illustrated in FIG. 4, the nested portion may comprise a speakeraperture 32 that may correspond to the speaker of a mobile device. Thespeaker aperture may allow access to the speaker of the mobile device sothat the user may listen to music or audio from a mobile device withoutthe case 10 obstructing the sound. In some embodiments (notillustrated), the base portion 20 may comprise more than one speakeraperture in different locations, corresponding to the speaker locationon the mobile device.

In some embodiments, the back panel 29 is made of a lighter plastic orpolymeric material than the inside panel 25 that reduces the totalweight of the case 10. Additionally, the material may be impactresistant enough to resist fracture when the case 10 containing a mobiledevice is dropped from a user's hand, a table, a desk and similarheights onto a variety of surfaces including concrete, asphalt, carpet,and the like. Such a height may include heights such as six feet, fivefeet, four feet, three feet, and the like. The material may also exhibitbeneficial properties such as scratch resistance, modulus, and the like.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4B-4C, the inside panel 25 may extend above theback panel 29, forming a peripheral flange 1050. As is illustrated inFIGS. 4 and 4A-4C, the peripheral flange 1050 may include one or moretabs 33 and recesses 34, corresponding to tabs 18 and recesses 19 on thebumper portion 12. The base portion 20 and the bumper portion 12 of thecase 10, then may be attached to one another by aligning the bumperportion 12 with the base portion 20 and applying pressure to force thecorresponding tabs and recesses on the bumper portion 12 and baseportion 20 to interlock with one another and snap into place. To removethe bumper portion 12 from the base portion 20, a user may flex thebumper portion 12 so that one or more of the corresponding recesses andtabs detach from one another, allowing the bumper portion 12 to releasefrom the base portion 20.

In some embodiments only one of the bumper portion 12 or the baseportion 20 may comprise tabs or recesses. According to one embodiment,the bumper portion may comprise a single, uniform tab extending inwardlyaround the perimeter of the inner surface 85, and the base portioncomprises a uniform recess extending inwardly around the perimeter ofthe peripheral flange that receives the uniform tab of the bumperportion.

The bumper portion and the base portion may be designed with a system oftabs and inlets or indents that securely fit the two pieces together inplace to prevent separation of the bumper portion from the base portionwhen the assembled case is dropped from a user's hand, a table, a deskand similar heights onto a variety of surfaces including concrete,asphalt, carpet, and the like. Such a height may include heights such assix feet, five feet, four feet, three feet, and the like. According tosome embodiments, this configuration allows the bumper portion and thebase portion to stay attached to one another both when a mobile deviceis contained within the assembled case and when a mobile device is notcontained within the assembled case.

As illustrated by the embodiment in FIGS. 6A-6D, a user may insert arechargeable battery and mobile device into the case 10 to provide extraelectrical charge to the mobile device to charge an internal battery ina mobile device. As shown in FIG. 6A, first a rechargeable battery 40,holding at least a partial charge, is inserted into the battery aperture22 in the base portion 20. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the user mayattach a mobile device 1060 to the base portion 20 by connecting amobile device 1060 to the plug 28. Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, the usermay attach the bumper portion 12 to the base portion 20 by aligning thebumper portion 12 with the base portion 20 and applying pressure toforce the corresponding tabs and recesses on the bumper portion 12 andbase portion 20 to interlock with one another and snap into place, thussecuring a mobile device 1060 within the case 10. As shown by FIG. 6D,when a user turns on the case by depressing the controls 27 (not shown),the mobile device may display an indicator 1062 on its screen 1061 toconfirm that an electrical charge is being provided to the mobile device1060 through the case.

When a mobile device is within the assembled case 10, the bumper portion12 may extend around the sides of a mobile device. The inner side of thebumper portion 12 may contact a mobile device. The nested portion 26 maycontact a bottom edge of a mobile device. The inside panel 25 of thebase portion 20 may contact or partially contact a back side of a mobiledevice. A portion of the bumper portion 12 may extend partially over afront side of a mobile device to help secure a mobile device in the case10. The front of a mobile device 1060 may comprise the display of amobile device, a keyboard, a rollerball, a control pad, a touch screen(for example, 1061 in FIG. 6D), and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 6D, desirably, the bumper portion desirablysurrounds each of the sides of the four corners of the mobile device.Desirably, the bumper portion surrounds each of the ends and sides ofthe mobile device. Desirably, the bumper portion substantially coverseach of the sides of the four corners of the mobile device. Desirably,the bumper portion substantially covers each of the ends and sides ofthe mobile device.

FIG. 7 illustrates a charger 50 according to an embodiment. The charger50 may have a top end 91, a bottom end 92, a left side 93, and a rightside 94. The charger 50 may also have a front side defining a front face95 of the charger and a rear side defining a rear face 96 of the case.The charger 50 also comprises a side edge 1070 that defines the sideperimeter and thickness of the charger, and connects the front face 95and the rear face 96. The charger 50 is generally provided to charge arechargeable battery 40, as described previously.

As is illustrated in FIG. 7, the charger may be shaped in a generallyrectangular fashion. However, in other, non-illustrated embodiments, thecharger may be generally circular, triangular, or any other suitablegeometric shape.

The charger 50 may define a battery aperture 52, shaped to contain arechargeable battery 40. The battery aperture 52 may comprise a detent54 shaped in a semi hemispherical fashion to allow a user to easilyremove a battery 40 from the battery aperture 52. The charger 50 mayalso comprise an inlet 55. The inlet 55 may correspond to a chargingdevice (such as cable 1010 in FIG. 1) that may be used to charge thebattery 40 when the battery 40 is placed in the battery aperture 52. LEDlight 51, located on the front face 95 of the case, may becomeilluminated when the charger is connected to a power source by thecharging cable. The charging cable may be configured to plug into apower source, for example, a computer or laptop device, a car outlet, apower outlet and the like. The charging cable may be of the same typedisclosed above.

According to some embodiments, the charger 50 comprises a mount insteadof an aperture shaped like the battery 40. The mount may comprise metalprongs to transfer power from a charger to the battery attached to themount. A mount may support the battery in the charger, but withoutsurrounding the battery on all four sides as the embodiment illustratedin FIG. 7.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the charger 50 may also comprise conductors,such as leads or prongs 58. The prongs 58 may extend from an end walldefining the battery aperture and allow an electrical charge to betransferred to a battery 40 when placed in the charger 50 when acharging cable is connected to the inlet 55 and a power source. Theprongs 58 may also provide additional pressure to the battery 40, whenplaced in the battery aperture 52, to assist in keeping the battery 40in place in the charger 50. The prongs 58 may also transfer electricalcharge from the battery 40 in the charger when the charger 50 isunplugged from a power source.

FIG. 8 illustrates another view of an embodiment of the charger 50.According to an embodiment, the back side of the charger 50 may comprisea layer 56 of material. The layer 56 may comprise a polymeric materialsuch as rubber. In some embodiments, the layer 56 may be tacky. Thelayer 56 may exhibit a coefficient of fraction in the range of 0.75-4.5.The layer 56 may prevent the charger 50 from sliding when subjected to ashearing or linear force when on a hard, flat or relatively surface suchas a table, desk, car dashboard, airplane or train tray table, and thelike. In some embodiments, the layer 56 may prevent the charger fromsliding or otherwise coming displaced when placed inside of the case 10.In other embodiments, the layer 56 may prevent the charger from slidingwhen placed on top of the inside panel 25 of the base portion 20.

In some embodiments, the charger may comprise an additional port thatmay be used to transfer power from a battery in the charger, when thebattery contains a charge, to another power receiving entity. In someembodiments, the port may comprise an USB port. Thus, in someembodiments containing the additional port, the charger may alsotransfer power from a battery within the charger containing a charge tocharge a laptop, tablet, PDA, e-reader, mp3 player (such as an iPod®),or any other suitable electronic device. According to some embodiments,the charger may also comprise an aperture shaped to form a negativeimpression of a data port.

According to an embodiment, a charger 50 may be able to discharge powerfrom a rechargeable battery contained within, to the case 10 when a porton the charger is inserted into the inlet 31.

In an embodiment, the charger may have an insert configured to receiveeither a micro-usb end or a USB end or any end of a charging cable. Insuch an embodiment, one charging cable may be used to connect thecharger to a power source, and a different charging cable inserted inthe insert may be connected to the inlet of a case. This configurationmay allow for a rechargeable battery contained within the charger, thecase, and/or a mobile device contained within the case, and/or arechargeable battery contained within the case to all be charged at thesame time. In such an embodiment, the power source charges the charger,which in turn charges the case, which in turn charges a rechargeablebattery contained within the case and/or a mobile device containedwithin the case.

FIG. 9 illustrates an embodiment of a kit 70 comprising a case 110, acharger 150, and at least one rechargeable battery 140. According tosome embodiments, the case 110, charger 150, and/or at least onerechargeable battery 140 encompass the features discussed in theembodiments of cases, chargers, and rechargeable batteries discussedabove. As is shown in FIG. 9, the charger 150 fits within the perimeterof the case 110. The charger 150 may contact the inner surface 125 ofthe case 110. When placed inside the case 110, the charger 150 iscontained within the case by the bumper portion 112. The bumper portionmay define at least one sidewall which extends transverse to the planewhich corresponds to the rear surface of the mobile device when themobile device is received by the case. For ease of reference, it isassumed that the inside panel 25 and the plane are positionedhorizontally and, accordingly, the sidewall extends transversely or,preferably vertically. As is illustrated in FIG. 10, which illustratesthe charger 150 within the case 110, the charger 150 is flush orsubstantially flush with the top edge of the bumper portion 112. Thebumper portion 112 has a depth d. The depth of the charger 150 may beequal to or less than d.

In some embodiments, as illustrated in the embodiments of FIGS. 9 and10, when the charger 150 is positioned inside of the case 110, thecharger 150 does not extend above at least one, and preferably above anyvertically extending side of the case. This may mean that the charger150 is flush with the bumper portion 112, or that, when placed againstthe inner surface 125 of the case 120, the charger 150 does not extendas high vertically as the bumper portion.

In some embodiments, a battery 140 may also be stored in the batteryaperture 152 of the charger 150 when it is placed in the case 110.According to other embodiments, a rechargeable battery 140 may be placedin a battery aperture of the case 110 (not illustrated) when the charger150 is placed in the case. According to yet other embodiments, arechargeable battery may be placed in the battery aperture 152 of thecharger 150 and a different rechargeable battery may be placed in thebattery aperture of the case 110. Thus a kit according to an embodimentmay be able to store up to at least two rechargeable batteries and thecharger in the space of the case 110 itself

The charger's compact design and ability to fit within the case allowsfor the kit described in aforementioned embodiments to travel easily.The compact kit may be able to fit into backpacks, luggage, purses,pockets, and the like for easy travel. Also, the ability for the piecesof the kit to fit within one another lessens the likelihood that thepieces of the kit will become separated from one another in a large bagor purse. According to some embodiments, the charger has a polymericcoating on the back of the charger that prevents the charger fromslipping when placed in the case. This coating, in some embodiments, mayalso help adhere the charger to the case when a user is traveling, sothat the components of the kit are more likely to stay together.

The kit, according to some embodiments, also has the ability to providea continuous stream of power to a mobile device over an extended periodof time. According to one method, a user may charge a rechargeablebattery using the charger while a mobile device is inserted into thecase where an already-charged rechargeable battery has already beeninserted into the case. The user may use the controls to transfer powerto the mobile device when needed (e.g., when the mobile device runs outof its own internal battery). Once the rechargeable battery inside thecase has drained, a user may remove the mobile device, remove thedrained battery, replace the drained battery in the battery aperture ofthe case with the rechargeable battery containing at least a partialcharge, replace the mobile device in the case, then use the controlswhen necessary to provide additional charge to the mobile device. Thedrained battery may be inserted into the charger, which may be thenconnected to a power source to restore charge to the rechargeablebattery. In some embodiments, several pre-charged rechargeable batteriesmay be carried by the user, so that a recharging step is unnecessary.

By cycling draining and charging rechargeable batteries within the caseand charger, respectively, a user can keep their mobile device on and/orfunctioning for extending periods of time without having to plug eitherthe phone or the case into a power source. This is beneficial forcircumstances where a user may have limited or no access to a powersupply, e.g. on a long flight or train ride, at an airport or trainstation, on a long car ride, when travelling in the wilderness, and thelike.

As shown in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 11, a system 200 maycomprise a case 210 and a charger 250 configured to attach to theinterior of the case 210. The system may also include one or morerechargeable batteries 240. According to some embodiments, the case 210,charger 250, and/or at least one rechargeable battery 240 encompass thefeatures discussed in the embodiments of cases, chargers, andrechargeable batteries discussed in embodiments above. The embodiment ofFIG. 11 shows the charger 250 attached to the case 210. The charger 250may have a recess defining a negative relief image of a protrusion inthe case 210. In some embodiments, the recess may be shaped to receive adata port protrusion. In other embodiments, the recess may be shaped toreceive a protrusion that has been pre-formed into the base portion 210or the bumper portion 212 of the case.

FIG. 12 illustrates a magnified view of the bottom portion of theembodiment of FIG. 11, with a cutaway view of the port 228 inside of thecharger recess 257. In this embodiment, the charger 250 is securelyconnected to the nested portion 226 of the base portion 220 of the case210 via the port 228. When connected, the charger 250 desirably shouldnot separate from the case 210 due to common forces that an object mayexperience when in a purse, backpack, luggage and the like. This canensure that the pieces of the system 200 do not come separated from oneanother in travel and are thus easy for a user to find as well ascompact.

According to some embodiments, the charger further comprises a mechanismsuch as a latch in the recess to further guarantee that the charger willnot come separated from the case when they are connected to one anotherduring travel. In some embodiments, the charger comprises a buttonconnected to the latch that the user can press to release the latch andthe charger from the case after the charger has been connected to thecase.

Although these inventions have been disclosed in the context of certainpreferred embodiments and examples, it will be understood by thoseskilled in the art that the present inventions extend beyond thespecifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodimentsand/or uses of the inventions and obvious modifications and equivalentsthereof. In addition, while several variations of the inventions havebeen shown and described in detail, other modifications, which arewithin the scope of these inventions, will be readily apparent to thoseof skill in the art based upon this disclosure. It is also contemplatedthat various combinations or sub-combinations of the specific featuresand aspects of the embodiments can be made and still fall within thescope of the inventions. It should be understood that various featuresand aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combined with orsubstituted for one another in order to form varying modes of thedisclosed inventions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of at leastsome of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited bythe particular disclosed embodiments described above.

What is claimed is:
 1. A case for protecting a mobile device, said casecomprising: a base portion having inner and outer panels extending froma first end region to a second end region, said inner panel beingdefined by a first external surface and said outer panel being definedby a second external surface, a portion of said second external surfacedefines an open-sided compartment sized to removably receive and containa rechargeable battery having external conductors; a first electricalconnector for engaging the mobile device when said mobile device isinserted in the case alongside said inner panel; and a second electricalconnector for engaging the external conductors of the rechargeablebattery when the rechargeable battery is positioned within theopen-sided compartment, wherein when the mobile device is engaged withthe first electrical connector and the rechargeable battery is engagedwith the second electrical connector, the rechargeable battery cansupply power to the mobile device.
 2. The case of claim 1, wherein thebase portion further comprises at least one window extending throughsaid base portion.
 3. The case of claim 2, further comprising at leastone side protector extending transverse to one or more of the inner andouter panels on multiple sides.
 4. The case of claim 1, furthercomprising a user detachable bumper that is configured to attach andextend around the base portion to define the perimeter of the case whenthe case and the bumper are fully attached to one another.
 5. A caseconfigured to retain and protect a mobile device, said case comprising:a base portion having an electrical circuit comprising a plurality ofelectrical components including one or more printed circuit boards andan open-sided compartment defined within an external surface of the baseportion, said open-sided compartment being configured to removablyreceive and retain a rechargeable battery, the electric circuitconnecting a first electrical connector configured to engaged with themobile device, a second electrical connector configured to engaged withthe rechargeable battery, and a third electrical connector configured toengage with an external electrical connector; a removable unitary bumperconfigured to extend around the entire base portion to define theperimeter of the case, said bumper being detachably secured on top ofthe base portion; and a nested portion extending from an end region ofthe base portion, wherein the bumper, the base portion and the nestedportion define a second compartment for retaining the mobile device whenit is inserted into the case.
 6. The case of claim 5, wherein the firstelectrical connector is positioned in the nested portion.
 7. The case ofclaim 5, wherein the base portion further comprising a rechargeablebattery charging circuit.
 8. A mobile device portable charging systemcomprising: (a) a rechargeable battery; (b) a case configured to protecta mobile device, the case comprising: a base portion having an externalsurface; an open-sided compartment defined by said external surface ofthe base portion and sized to removably contain the rechargeablebattery; an electrical circuit that facilitates the transfer ofelectrical charge to and from the rechargeable battery, when saidrechargeable battery is contained within the open-sided compartment ofthe case; a first electrical connector for engaging the mobile device;and a second electrical connector, wherein when the mobile device isengaged with the first electrical connector and the rechargeable batteryis engaged with the second electrical connector, the rechargeablebattery can supply power to the mobile device; and (c) a rechargeablebattery charging module comprising circuitry contained within a separatehousing that is configured to be removably received within the case andto connect with the first electrical connector, wherein saidrechargeable battery charging module is also sized to removably containthe rechargeable battery.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the casefurther includes one or more printed circuit boards that contains acontroller and firmware that manages the charging and dispersion ofpower to and from the rechargeable battery.
 10. The system of claim 9,wherein the one or more printed circuit boards are electricallyconnected to prongs to facilitate transfer of electrical charge to andfrom the rechargeable battery.
 11. The system of claim 10, furtherincluding a nested portion extending from the base portion, wherein thebase portion and the nested portion define a support structure that isconfigured to support at least two sides of a mobile device when saidmobile device is inserted into the case.
 12. The system of claim 8,wherein the case further comprises a removable unitary bumper configuredto detachably fit on top of the base portion and be mechanically securedthereto.
 13. The system of claim 8, wherein the case further includes aUSB connector that is electrically connected to the rechargeable batterywhen the rechargeable battery when the rechargeable battery is containedwithin the open-sided compartment.
 14. The system of claim 13, whereinthe case further includes a USB cable that is sized to connect with saidUSB connector to allow the rechargeable battery, an internal battery ofa mobile device, or both to be charged by an external power source. 15.The system of claim 8, further including a second rechargeable batteryhaving the same dimensions as said first rechargeable battery.